Kouga invites local residents to IDP and budget meetings

The Kouga Local Municipality Council is inviting all residents and stakeholder groups to a series of community consultation meetings to discuss the municipality's new Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and budget over the next two months.

"The draft IDP for 2017/2022 and draft budget for 2017/2018 will be tabled to the Kouga Council for approval this afternoon," said Kouga Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Elza van Lingen.

"The drafts would be taken to the community for feedback in April and May.

"We promised residents that we would be transparent and include them in our processes."

She said that this series of meetings is an opportunity for residents to participate in how they are governed.

"We would like to encourage all communities to attend," the Mayor said.

"All but two of the meetings, at Paradise Beach and Ons Tuiste in Humansdorp, will start at 6pm."

The meetings have been scheduled as follows:

• Ward One will have two meetings. The first meeting will take place on 18 April at the Oyster Bay Community Hall, followed by a meeting at the Sea Vista Community Hall on 20 April.
• Ward Two will meet on 19 April at the Pellsrus Community Hall.
• Ward Three is set to meet on 11 April in the Newton Hall, Jeffreys Bay.
• Ward Four will meet on 24 April at the Baptist Church Hall.
  Ward Five will meet on 25 April at the Kruisfontein Community Hall.
• Ward Six is set to meet on 26 April at the KwaNomzamo Community Hall.
• Ward Seven will also have two meetings. The first meeting will take place on 2 May at the Loerie Community Hall, followed by a meeting at the Katrien Felix Hal in Thornhill on 3 May.
• Ward Eight will also be meeting on 3 May but at the Newton Hall, Jeffreys Bay.
  Ward Nine will meet on 4 May at the Vusumzi Landu Hall, Hankey.
• Ward Ten is set to meet on 8 May at the Dan Sandi Community hall, Patensie.
• Ward Eleven will be meeting on 9 May at the Newton Hall, Jeffreys Bay.
  Ward Twelve will be holding three meetings. The first will take place on 10 May at the St Francis Village Hall. The second will take place at the Paradise Beach Dutch Reformed Church hall at 3pm on 15 May and the third will take place at the Humansdorp Country Club on 16 May.
• Ward Thirteen will meet on 11 May at the Weston Community Hall.
• Ward Fourteen is set to meet on 15 May at the Tokyo Sexwale Sportsfield.
• Ward Fifteen will be holding two meetings, both on 16 May. The first meeting will start at 15:00 and take place at Ons Tuiste in Humansdorp. The second meeting will start at 18:00 at the Humansdorp Country Club and will be a joint meeting with Ward Twelve.

For more information, contact the Manager: IDP, Colleen Dreyer, at cdreyer@kouga.gov.za  or 042 200 2143.